 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Mishawn Purnell-O'Neal, MPH, African American Breastfeeding Alliance, 7609 West Roosevelt Rd., Forest Park, IL 60130, 708/488-1458, mishawnpurnell@msn.com
Although breastfeeding rates have been on the increase,there are still huge disparities in the rate in which African American women chose to initiate breastfeeding as the feeding choice for their infants in comparison to other ethnicities. The Healthy 2010 goal is to increase the number of women who initiate breastfeeding to 75%. For many African Americans, the decision whether or not to initiate breastfeeding is multidimentional. Health Care Providers, as well as the overall Health Care Industry have a huge impact on this decision. Literature references were reviewed from various electronic databases from 1990-2002. The literature showed a consistent pattern that identified the Health Care Provider as having a primary influence on the infant feeding decision of African American women. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report in 2002, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care which details the overall impact on minority populations. It was found that insurance coverage, income, age and severity of condition does not account for the disparity seen in white and minority groups. Instead persistent discrimination and stereotyping, even by well-intentioned providers, results in unequal care. This presentation will review this report and its impact on breastfeeding within the African American Community.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Breastfeeding, African American
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.